Rail-joint



I. C. E LKINS.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 20. 1919.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

ICE/$2778 Mum JOHN'C. ELKINS; OF SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specificationof LettersLPatcnt; paeeneew Mar-:23; 1920i Applieation filed, September 20, 1919. Serial No. 325,240.

ToaZZ whom it may concern: j

. Be it known that 1, J0HNO. ELKINS, a citizen oi the United States, residing at Santa Rosa, in the county of Sonoma and State 01 Gali'fornimhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to rail joints and particularly to a joint which secures the ends of the rails without the use of bolts, and has for its object to providea device of this character, capable of securing the ends or" the rails to provide a smooth connection so arranged that the wheelsof the car engage both of the connecting ends of the rails at the same time, so as to eliminate noise resulting from contact of the wheels with the rail ends. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail engaging shoe including a plurality of gravity operated fastening pins,

which automatically lock the meeting endsof the rails in the shoe.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a rail joint which eliminates the use of bolt and fish plates and is not effected by vibration.

These objects are attained by the 1nechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the rail joint, the sockets in the shoe being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the confronting ends of the rails fastened in the shoe,

the fastened ends of the rails and the shoe Through this novel connection, the wheels of the car do not at any time engage the separate ends of the rails when passing over the joints, but engage both ends at the same time. Formed in the base of the rail 5 at the end of the V-shaped recess, is an inclined groove 9, which inclines toward the end of the rail. Formed in the baseot the rail (3, at the base of the V.-shaped"projection is an inclined groove 10 which also inclines toward the end of the rail. The purpose o1 these inclined grooves will be hereinafter described.

A shoe 11 isprovided and is intended to engage the ends of the rails 5 and 6. This shoe comprises a base 12, and inwardly and upwardly extending sides 13. The interior surfaceotthiesides 13 are provided with grooves 14:, adapted to receive electric con nectihg wires, while the base 12 has a plurality o1 recesses 15 adapted to receive spikes for securing the shoe to the tie. The sides and'bottom of the shoe 11 areiiitended to snugly engage the base of the rails. Disposed in theinterlnedi ate portionoif the upper surface of the base 12, is a. plurality of sockets 16 having inclined bottoms 17, which incline toward the center of the base 12. Communicat- 1119; with the sockets 16 at the sides thereof is a plurality of grooves 18, while penetrating the bottom 17 is an opening 19. Freely disposed in each of the sockets 16 is a gravity operated pin 20. This pin has extending from its sides adjacent one end, trunnions 21, which are intended to be disposed in the grooves 18 of the sockets.

Bythis eccentric pivot, the end 22 of the pin is caused by gravity to engage the inclined bottom 17 of the socket 16, so that the end 23 projects above the upper surface of the bottom 12. In order to raise the pin so that the end 23 will lie flush with the base 12, an implement such as a nail or wire is in sorted inthe opening 19 and engages the end 22 of the pin to raise the same, thereby bringing the pin flush with the bottom 12.

The joint is operated by inserting the 1 ends 5 and 6 into the shoe 11. During this operation, the pins 20 are caused to lie flush with the bottom 12. When the inclined grooves 9 and 10 register with the ends 23 of the pins 20, the ends are caused to move upwardly into the grooves by being overbalanced by the ends 22 through the force of gravity, so that the pins lie in an in-- clined position on the inelihed bottom of the socket 16, thereby securely locking the rail ends in the shoe. The pins can not be disengaged from the grooves 9 and 10 by any means other than the insertion of an implement through the openings 19 to 1nauually release them.

From the foregoing, it will be readily seen that this invention provides a novel and inexpensive form-of rail joint capable of securely locking the ends of the rails to timepermitting the ends of the rails to expand and contract with the change of seasons.

What is claimed is: V

1. The combination with two rails each having a groove in the base of their confronting ends, of a rail shoe adapted to receive said ends, the upper face of the shoe having spaced recesses, atrunnion socket intersecting the side of each recess near the inner end thereof, opposed gravity operated pins in said recesses, each pin having trunnions projecting from the sides thereof near one end,

said trunnions being journaled in the said trunnion sockets,'the inner end of each pin engaging one ofthe grooves in the base of the rail when the rails are positioned in the shoe.

2. The combination with two rails each having a groove in the base of their confronting ends, of a rail shoe adapted to embrace theweb and base of said rail ends, said shoe having recesses in the upper face of its base, between the sides of the shoe, the bottom of each recess inclining toward the transverse center of the shoe, opposed gravity operated pins freely journaled near one end Within the recesses, one end of each pin being disposed in the groove of one rail, whereby movement of said rails longitudinally of the shoe is prevented.

3. The combination with two rails each having a groove in the base of its ends, of a rail shoe engaged with the base of said ends, said shoe having reccssesregistering with the grooves in the base of the rails, trunnion sockets in the upper face of the shoe, said sockets extending through the sides of each recess in axial alinement near the inner ends of said recesses, opposed gravity operated pins movable in said recesses, each pin having trunnions extending from the sides thereof and journalcd in the trunnion sockets, the base of the rail within the shoe adjacent the edge of the groove therein being disposed over the upper open portion of said trunnion sockets.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

JOHN C. ELKINS. 

